DJA wrote:
Ralph Shumaker wrote:
You certainly have a right to pray. In fact you have a Constitutional
right to pray, which I will defend even if I (may) disagree with the
beliefs motivating your prayer.
You do _not_ have the right, as a state official, to suggest, sponsor,
or lead others in a prayer. That constitutes the State sanctioning a
religious practice, which is what the concept of the separation of
Church and State is about.
I disagree, just ask Congress (after they finish with their prayer).
Besides, someone praying where you can hear them is *not* them
shoving their beliefs down your throat. You forbidding them from
doing so is *YOU* shoving *your* beliefs down theirs.
Of course not. And the SCOTUS doesn't think so either. The court
rulings on prayer have only been in the context of lead prayer by
functionaries of the the State. The argument is that to do so
discriminates against those whose beliefs are not consistent with
those leading or being led in prayer.
It's a matter of peer pressure and oppression. When a child is in a
school, they are in effect captured and controlled by the State. They
will feel compelled to follow the suggestions of the State's
representative: the teacher. If they do not wish to participate, they
may be put into a position of being ridiculed for having different
beliefs or rituals than the majority who do follow the State's lead.
Peer pressure is a very powerful force. Enough so that it is often the
basis of many important court decisions.
The SCOTUS has never said it is illegal to pray. Only to lead or
coerce or _deny_ prayer under certain circumstances.
And the SCOTUS is never wrong nor should ever be challenged. Noooo.
(But it's not too bad, for the most part they do a decent job.)
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